The Project
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Sarah always does everything she can to help. Sometimes, it's not enough. Sometimes, it's up to others to help themselves.
1. The First Day Back

_Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Ninja Steel._

The next couple of weeks passed without issue. There were a few attacks from Galvanax, including a monster that turned the Rangers intro trophies and made Brody and Levi extremely – and dangerously – competitive. However, the Rangers could handle it all with ease, especially since they had their team back at full force, exactly how it was meant to be.

This morning, things were a little different. Since the school had been destroyed in a monster's earthquake, the Rangers had been able to enjoy an extended summer. And while it hadn't been filled with beach trips and parties like any of them had hoped, it had still been exciting. What the Rangers really enjoyed most was not having to worry about fitting school work between Ranger battles and training.

Sarah was generally excited for the start of school. She loved learning, she liked seeing her friends and the homework didn't bother her much. However, on this first day of school, Sarah was not excited. It was her senior year. It was supposed to be the time where she finalized her college resume and learned where she would be getting into college.

This was supposed to be the year Sarah started her life. Now, she couldn't even spell life.

"You're going to do fine," Jenny said as she placed breakfast down in front of her daughter. "You'll get an IEP, you'll show all the colleges that it's going to take more than a head trauma to shake you and they'll be lining up waiting on you to accept them."

Sarah shook her head, "Who wants an engineer who can't write down her calculation, or read others?"

"That hasn't stopped you working in the garage," Jenny said.

"Well, yeah, but…"

"Look," Jenny sat down and smiled, "It's not going to be easy at first. Maybe never. But the Sarah I know never backs down from a challenge. Besides, didn't you find school a bit too easy anyway?"

"A little."

"Now, you're just giving the other kids a chance to keep up," Jenny chuckled. "I'm pretty sure you're still winning the race. You're just not running laps around anyone anymore. It's more… competitive."

"I'll give it a try," Sarah said. She took a bite of toast, then pushed her plate away. She wasn't hungry. Fortunately, Jenny had packed extra snacks in her lunch, just so she wouldn't be hungry if her appetite returned. Jenny gave Sarah her lunch box, then gestured to the hallway.

"You know, I think you're medically cleared for a ride," she said. "Why don't you take the hoverboard to school. As long as you remember…"

"Red means stop, green means go. I can't read, Jenny, but I do know street signs."

"I'm just checking," Jenny chuckled at herself. She would admit being a little overprotective right now, though she couldn't think of any reason why that was bad. It had barely been two weeks since she learned her daughter had technically been dead and that an alien from a distant galaxy had saved her. Sarah's brain injury was no longer as severe as it had been, which meant the seizures had slowed and Sarah's stutter and confusion were gone. Sarah could no longer read or spell, and there were some inexplicable mood swings, but they were no longer violent. Jenny was told it was to be expected with any form of brain damage.

All things considered, Sarah was thriving, but Jenny didn't want to risk that at all. She had told Sarah to take a couple of weeks off her hoverboard to give her head a little more time to heal, and asked that Sarah check in with her every couple of hours when she was out. She also asked that, when Sarah was working in the garage, she leave the door to the kitchen wide open so Jenny could hear if something went wrong.

It was a lot of rules for Sarah, who had already worked to earn her parents trust and so was used to minimal rules. Fortunately, Sarah had done well to follow them to ease Jenny's fears, and so she was deserving of having her hoverboard back.

Sarah gave a smile, took her hoverboard and geared up on her driveway. She turned it on then glided to school. At least she had this.

She stopped at the front of the building. While parts of it were still under construction, the bulk of the building was ready. The city had placed a rush order so the kids could get back to school when classes started. Summer Cove High was the biggest High School in the city, and offered program that other schools in the area couldn't. The school, the school board and the city were worried that if they didn't meet their deadline, parents would pull their kids and enrollment would drop.

"But… but…" she heard Victor stammer as she walked into the main foyer. He was speaking with Principal Hastings and standing in front of the now empty trophy case. Sarah could assume that all of Victor's trophies were lost or damaged in the earthquake. "I worked hard for those."

"I'm sorry Victor," Principal Hastings said with a shrug. "But this is a new year. Perhaps you can win them all back."

"All back? In one year?"

"You can do it, Victor," Monty, Victor's biggest, and only cheerleader said. Victor didn't seem to agree.

"It took me three years to get all the other ones."

"I'll help you," Monty promised. "By the end of the school year, we'll have all your trophies back and more!"

"That's the spirit," Principal Hastings smiled, then caught a glimpse of Sarah in the corner of her eye. She rushed over to the pink Ranger and tapped her on the shoulder. "Um, Sarah, I believe you have some paperwork for me?"

"Right," Sarah nodded her head and reached into her bag. Because of no longer being able to read and write, Sarah would need to end high school with an IEP for all her classes. All it meant was that she would need some accommodations for her school work, such as having someone read out instructions and tests to her and having her answer verbally and having someone scribe her reports for her when they needed to be written down. Unfortunately, before those could be put into place, the school required Sarah to jump through a few hopes, and a medical record of her new disability was only the start.

Since Sarah hadn't seen a real doctor for her diagnosis, she didn't have real paperwork. Mick had to forge some for her last minute. Principal Hastings either didn't notice, or didn't care that the doctor's name was signed: _Dr. Mick Kanic_ and that it was the very same name of the shop teacher she happened to hire the year before.

"I will make this a priority," Principal Hastings assured her. "Until then, all your teachers are aware of your condition and have agreed to do what they can to help. You'll have Mrs. Finch this year for math, science and English and… who's that bushy haired shop teacher?"

"Mick?"

"He'll be your shop teacher. Hopefully, that makes this all a little easier for you."

"Thank you, Principal Hastings," Sarah said, then made her way to the office to pick up her schedule. That was where she bumped into Levi on his way out. She grabbed his arm, "Are you teaching much again?"

"Not this year," Levi shook his head. "I don't think I was very good and there were too many students enrolling in class because they were fans, not because they cared for music theory or production. I'm just going to volunteer wherever and whenever the school needs me."

"Kelly's going to be disappointed," Sarah said. "She loved your class."

"I can still offer private lessons," Levi said, then noticed a few eyes turn to him. While most of the students and staff at Sumemr Cove were used to seeing him around, some were still star-struck. Levi could always expect someone to ask for a picture, for his autograph, or for him to sing at least once a day.

"The price of fame," Sarah chuckled and Levi nodded his head.

"I'll see you later," Levi said and hurried out before he was surrounded.

Sarah made her way to the front of the line and picked up her schedule. Principal Hastings had already told her her classes for the semester, but Sarah needed to know when and where they were. After, she made her way to her locker and started to unpack her bag. There, Kelly found her and bounced over with a smile. She took the schedule from Sarah's hand and read it with a smile.

"We have the same schedule."

"Mom requested it," Sarah said. "You know, since you offered to be my scribe and all. Speaking off, you get some volunteer hours for that, in case you still needed some."

"Does being the pink Ranger count?"

"What do you think?" Sarah asked.

"I guess not. Need help organizing your locker?"

"I've got it," Sarah said. She unpacked her bag, sure to put her books on the top and her hoverboard on the bottom. Then she shut it and pointed to the cafeteria. "Wanna find the others?"

Kelly nodded and followed Sarah to the cafeteria, where students were gathering before the start of the day. They could easily pick the freshmen apart from the older students, as they appeared completely lost and nervous. Sarah had never been able to relate with them. In her freshman year, she had been excited and ready for the challenge ahead. Even when she transferred into Summer Cove, she was looking forward to a fun new year.

While her teachers were the same, while she already knew she had Kelly in her class, and while she was already familiar with the school, everything about her senior year felt strange, and it had everything to do with all the posters, flyers and sign-up sheets located around the cafeteria, inviting students to register for extra curriculars. Sarah could make out what some of the posters and flyers were for based on their pictures, but couldn't read any of the details.

"Hey, there's Preston," Kelly smiled and pointed to the front of the room, where Preston was wowing the crowd with some new tricks he had been practicing over the summer. Now that he wasn't at home with his parents, he found he had a lot of free time. When he wasn't with his friends or training, he was able to practice magic in his room. Brody and Levi had admitted they were growing a little tired of being his audience, but they were clearly still giving him the pointers he needed to improve, as students were stopping to watch him. "I wonder what his schedule is like?"

"We have all the same classes," Hayley announced as she arrived behind Sarah and Kelly. "Math, English, Science and Shop."

"Same!"

"Perfect," Hayley smiled. "Calvin's with us too. Now we just have to hope Brody's in all our classes too and we should have no trouble."

"Where is Calvin?" Kelly asked as she noticed the yellow Ranger wasn't anywhere in the cafeteria, which was odd, considering he and Hayley were glued to the hip. Calvin had been by the house to pick the girls up.

"Where do you think?" Hayley asked then pointed down the hall. "You remember that clunking sound Nitro was making?"

"Yeah."

"Guess who just has to fix it before school," Hayley rolled her eyes. "Calvin made me line up for his schedule too. He's going to smell like oil all day, now."

"Glad I don't sit next to him," Kelly said with a little chuckle as she turned to Sarah.

Finally, the bell rang. The freshmen all rushed out of the cafeteria, hurrying to get to their first class, afraid they would be late. The rest of the students casually made their way to their lockers to grab their pencils and notebooks and wandered down to class. Sarah felt she was lucky her friends were in the same class as her. Without then, she never would have been able to find her classes. While the building had been rebuilt so it was the same as before, some of the room numbers had been moved around and Sarah couldn't read the signs.

She followed her friends into math, with Mrs. Finch, who she had last year for most of her classes as well. Mrs. Finch had already written down some instructions on the board to keep the students busy. Sarah saw everyone getting to work, but she couldn't figure out on what. Before Kelly could mutter the equation to Sarah, Mrs. Finch came over and asked Sarah if they could speak. Sarah nodded and followed her out to the hallway, which had mostly cleared out.

"So I've heard about your condition," she said. "Principal Hastings let me know that some accommodations may be necessary. Is that true?"

"I can't read," Sarah nodded. "I had an accident over the summer."

To explain Sarah's injury, the Rangers and Jenny were all claiming she had been in a car accident. Since Sarah had been struck by a car, it was partly true, but as far as anyone was concerned, Sarah had been in the car for the accident and as a result suffered a terrible blow to the head.

"Is there anything I can do?" Mrs. Finch asked.

"Read instructions out loud," Sarah nodded. "I don't know what you write on the board. Letters, numbers, none of it makes sense anymore."

"Principal Hastings mentioned Kelly would be a scribe. Is that enough?"

"I don't know," Sarah shrugged. "This is new to me too."

"Well, we'll figure it out together," Mrs. Finch said. "For now, work with your friends on the equation on the board and just do what you can. After some testing, we'll know better."

"Testing?" Sarah groaned. She had already been through a lot of testing, from the initial diagnosis after her revival, to some follow-ups to confirm her condition wasn't improving. She knew the school would require its own tests to determine her limitations and how they could help, but that didn't stop her feeling frustrated.

"I know, it's not ideal," Mrs. Finch said. "But, and you can't tell anyone you heard this, you are expected to be our top student this year."

"I am?"

"Of course. So the school is willing to put all it's resources into helping you. Whether it's the use of a personal computer, having audio books, scribes, illustrations to explain ideas, whatever you need, we will provide it."

"Why?"

"The school believes in you," Mrs. Finch smiled. "And, while she doesn't always show it, Principal Hastings does care about all her students. She's not going to let something like a brain injury stop her students from achieving their best."

Sarah smiled back at Mrs. Finch and nodded her head, "That's good to know."

"But remember, you didn't hear any of that. Especially from me."

"Mom's the word," Sarah promised then headed back to class.


	2. The Project

"I can't believe we got a project on our first day!" Calvin grumbled as he carried his lunch over to the table and sat down with Hayley. "I mean, where's the build up?"

"Senior year," Hayley said. "At least it's not bad."

"Not bad?" Kelly frowned. "Uh, I don't have a technical bone in my body. How the hell am I supposed to come up with a technology that will benefit society?"

"Maybe Preston and Brody have some ideas?" Hayley suggested and looked to the two Rangers Kelly had been partnered up with. It was luck that the Rangers ended up with each other as partners in Mrs. Finch's name draw, but luck wouldn't take them much further than that. "I mean, Brody did work on Galvanax's ship for ten years with Mick."

"Your team wouldn't happen to have any spare ideas, would you?" Kelly asked and her focus turned to Sarah and Calvin. "I mean, between an engineer and a mechanic, building a piece of technology will be a breeze."

"Yeah, but the two-thousand-word paper on how it'll benefit modern day society will not," Hayley said. "That's something a writer might enjoy."

"I do have a way with words," Kelly agreed.

"What if we make this interesting?" Brody asked as he sat down. "The team who gets the best grade… gets to…"

"The others have to wear their colours for a whole week," Preston said as he joined. "Kelly and Hayley swap, Calvin and I swap and Brody and Sarah swap."

"Wait, I get pink?"

"What's wrong with pink?" Sarah frowned as she looked to Brody. "Are you not man enough to wear it?"

"I'm man enough," Brody crossed his arms over his chest as he smirked playfully at Sarah. "But I'm not going to have to, because we're getting an A+."

"Wait, what do we do if we get the same grade?" Calvin asked. "How do we determine the winner then?"

"Whoever finished first," Hayley stated. "The team who does the best project in the shortest amount of time, wins."

"But you need to get the higher mark," Preston agreed. "Not just finish first. Deal?"

"Deal," the Rangers all nodded, then shook their heads. Preston, Brody and Kelly then got up from the table to start discussing ideas, leaving Hayley, Calvin and Sarah to talk at the table. Sarah smiled as she reached into her bag and took out her notebook.

"Fortunately for us, we've got a head start. Any one of these projects can get us an A."

Hayley grabbed the book and opened to a random page, "Uh, a human mute button?"

"Whoops," Sarah said and snatched the book back as her face turned red. "Sorry. My mom's been driving me a little nuts lately. Any one but that."

Calvin took her book this time and opened it to another page. He frowned as he looked to it, "Is this a doomsday device?"

"Okay, I'll pick the project," Sarah said and snatched her book back again. She flipped to one of her older ideas and showed the picture to Calvin and Hayley. "Here, perfect. Healthy cookies. You put healthy food in on one side, and a delicious, healthy cookie comes out on the other."

"Do you think we can actually build that?" Calvin asked and Sarah nodded confidently.

"I can build everything in there."

"The doomsday device?" Hayley frowned.

Sarah turned a light shade of pink as she nodded slowly. "Uh, yeah, well… the mind goes to dark places when it's… broken. Don't worry, I have no intention on building an actual doomsday device."

-Ninja-Steel-

Kelly, Preston and Brody brought their work up to the library, believing they could work in peace there. They sat at an empty table and Kelly brought out her notebook.

"Okay, any ideas for a device we can build?"

Preston and Brody exchanged glances, then shook their heads. It wasn't for a lack of imagination that they had no ideas, but unlike Sarah and Calvin, no one on the team was technically inclined. They couldn't build something complex. While that wouldn't keep them from winning the bet and getting a good mark, it did pose a bit of a challenge.

"Sarah always starts her ideas by thinking of a problem," Preston pointed out. "She came up with the idea for her hoverboard when she needed to get around the city, but couldn't drive and he dad wouldn't let her take the bus."

"And she made the holo-clones so she could be in four clubs at once," Brody nodded. "So we just need a problem."

"We have one," Kelly stated. "No freaking clue what we're doing."

"Okay… well maybe we don't have to reinvent the wheel. What is something we all have a hard time with every day?"

"Getting out of bed," Kelly grumbled. "You know, even a futon feels like heaven when your alarm clock buzzes in the morning."

"Getting up does suck," Preston agreed. "So, what can we design that will help make that easier?"

"How will that help society?"

"People might not be as grumpy in the morning. You aren't late to school or work. More time getting ready…"

"I'll write the paper," Kelly insisted. "Don't worry about that. I can bullshit my way through any paper if I have enough motivation for it. We just need the idea."

"So what will help make getting out of bed easier?" Preston asked. There was a silence for a moment as the trio thought. Then Kelly shrugged.

"I mean, I don't want to leave my bed in the morning because it's so comfortable. What if we found a way to make it uncomfortable?"

"How is that going to help make mornings easier? Won't people just be grumpy because they woke up on the wrong side of the bed?"

"Maybe the morning isn't the way to go," Brody suggested. "There's got to be some other problem we can solve."

"Excuse me," a girl said as she approached the table, looking a little nervous. None of the three knew who she was, but Brody and Preston felt like they had seen her before. "You guys don't happen to know a Sarah, do you?"

"Sarah?" Kelly asked, then nodded her head. "We know her."

"Do you know where she is?"

"Who are you?" Kelly decided to ask. She had never seen this girl before. Her clothes didn't suit her at all, she seemed scared of her own shadow and she looked a little ill.

"I'm Melanie," she answered. "I was told Sarah goes here and… I just wanted to see if I could find her."

"She's in the cafeteria," Kelly answered. "Pink shirt, probably working on a sketch or something with Hayley and Calvin – uh, white and yellow shirts. They'll be easy to spot."

"Thanks," the girl smiled, though it was hardly noticeable, and then walked away. The three looked to each other with a little shrug and then went back to their notes.

"Okay, so a problem to solve," Preston said to get his mind back on track. Suddenly, Kelly jumped up.

"Sarah!"

"Uh?"

"Oh, we're so getting an A with this," Kelly smirked. "Sarah is our problem."

"Nice way to speak about your girlfriend," Preston chuckled. "Does she know that's what you think of her?"

Kelly gave him a quick glare, then shook her head. "All we need it a device that will help Sarah read or write. Like how the phone can read texts or you can use the mic. But this can be for stuff like textbooks and tests and stuff."

"How are we going to do that?" Preston frowned.

"Maybe… maybe we can ask Mick's help?"

"Uh, is that cheating?" Brody asked. "I mean, if I couldn't use my data com to answer questions in class, I'm pretty sure using a mechanical specialist is cheating on a project."

"Not to mention our bet."

"So we'll bump our grade down by half a point for cheating on the bet," Kelly said. "You guys, I really think this is the idea we should go with."

"And you're not biased at all?" Brody asked. "This has nothing to do with you being Sarah's scribe for the rest of her life."

"Whoa, slow down on the commitment there, buddy," Kelly put her hand up. "But no, this has nothing to do with helping Sarah. It's about… helping Sarah. So she doesn't have to rely on us for homework and stuff."

"You think we can do it?"

"We'll design it, build it, write the paper. I mean, people around the world struggle with dyslexia, dysgraphia and all that stuff. The paper will write itself, we'll get an A on that for sure. Mick will just help us figure out how to get the parts working. Come on, guys, it's worth risking the bet, right?"

Preston and Brody looked to each other for just a moment, then they nodded their heads. "Alright, we'll bump our final grade down half a point. You realize that pretty much guarantees we'll lose, right? I mean, the others are probably already halfway done."

"I know, I know," Kelly nodded. "But this is going to be so awesome!"


	3. The Girl's Bathroom

Though most students used their lunch period to eat, socialize and relax, the Rangers were hard at work. They had taken their assignment and bet seriously and wanted to come up with the best project they could. Brody, Preston and Kelly were up in the library, working on the design for their idea while Calvin, Hayley and Sarah already had an idea and design, and were figuring out who had to write the paper.

"We should all come up with the ideas for it," Hayley said. "Like the presentation, the impact it could have on society, and that stuff."

"But who is actually going to sit and write it?" Calvin asked. Suddenly, he threw his hand up, "Not it!"

He nudged Hayley, "Come on, Hayls. Not it? Not it?"

Hayley only glared at Calvin. When he shrugged, her eyes quickly shifted over to Sarah. Calvin realized his mistake, turned to the pink Ranger and smiled awkwardly.

"What flavour ice-cream do you want?"

"Strawberry," she told him. "Always strawberry."

"Coming up," he said as she got up to wait in line. Hayley looked to her friend with a shake of her head.

"He means well."

"I know," Sarah smirked. "I just love ice-cream."

"So, while he's gone, explain how these cookies… work?"

"I'll figure out the technical stuff," Sarah promised. "I'll just need your help with building, and you and Calvin can figure out the writing part. But, for ideas, I know what you can say."

"Shoot."

"What kills any diet?"

"A lack of self-control."

"Deep," Sarah said, then shook her head. "A little less… spot-on."

"Cravings."

"Right. Cravings for…"

"Cookies?"

"Sweets," Sarah smiled. "So, what if you could give into your cravings, but not blow your diet. You know, eat healthy, nutritious meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner?"

"You should probably solve the obesity crisis," Hayley said, then gasped. "Oh my god, you're going to solve the obesity crisis."

"Well, maybe not that far," Sarah shook her head. "Too much of anything is still bad for you. But you're on the right track. All the goodness of a cookie with all the nutrients of a…"

"Excuse me," a girl said as she gently tapped Sarah on the shoulder. "You're Sarah, right?"

"Yeah. How can I help?"

"I'm Melanie," the girl answered. "Um… we haven't technically met before but… we kind of worked together."

"Worked?" Sarah frowned. She never had a job before. She hadn't been old enough to work until recently and now was too busy being a Ranger to hold down even a summer job. "Uh, are you sure you have the right Sarah? There are like ten of us in this school."

"You look just like her," the girl nodded.

"Who?"

"Kathryn."

"Who?" Sarah asked again just before it hit her. She got up, grabbed Melanie by the arm and dragged her out of the cafeteria and down to the washroom. Hayley followed close behind, curious as to what was happening.

"You know my mother?" Sarah asked Melanie, who nodded her head.

"I worked with her. Two months," she said.

"Your mother?" Hayley frowned. "Wait, the prostitute?"

"Sex worker," Melanie said as she nodded her head. "But yeah. When Kathryn and Drex were arrested, a lot of us girls were taken in too. Most went to jail but the judge felt I could be saved."

"That's great," Sarah smiled, but Melanie shook her head.

"Do you know where your mother is? Like… where they sent her?"

"No," Sarah answered. She didn't want to know. Melanie sighed.

"Drex?"

Sarah shook her head again, "I put that behind me. You probably should too."

"I can't do the sober thing," Melanie said. "I can't do this school, this life… none of it. Drex wasn't great but… He's better than my parents."

"Wait, are you saying you want to go back to prostitution?" Hayley asked.

"I had a roof over my head, food, a steady job," Melanie nodded. "Drex may have been a little rough on me at times…"

"Rough doesn't begin to describe him," Sarah frowned. "More like… savage."

"But he's the best I've got," Melanie said. She looked to Sarah desperately, "Look, I got you out, okay. I helped your mother, they clearly found you and took care of you…"

"You helped them?"

"We paid the hooker for information about you," Hayley nodded, recalling that night. "Don't ask about it."

"Sex worker," Melanie corrected. "Look, this isn't for everyone. You had a chance, I helped you get out. I'm not like you. You need to help me get back in. Can you find out where Drex or your mother are?"

"No."

"Sarah, please, you've got to help me."

"I am," Sarah said. "You're not going back to him."

"But…"

"Just, trust me, okay," Sarah said. "You got me out of trouble, now it's my turn to help you."

"But…"

"I'll figure something out," Sarah promised. "Just… give me a couple of days. Meet me here Friday, alright?"

"Fine. One week," Melanie nodded. "But if you won't help me…"

"I promise I will," Sarah said. Melanie let out a sigh then left the bathroom. Hayley turned to Sarah.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know, but I just bought us a week."

"Us?"

"Please?" Sarah begged. "Come on, you can't let Melanie go back to that life, can you?"

"No, but…"

"Great, so you'll help!"

"What about our project? It's due Monday."

"We'll still have time to work on it," Sarah promised and pulled Hayley out of the bathroom, where they found Calvin roaming the halls for them. When he saw them coming out, he frowned.

"There you are! Where did you go? I had to eat the first ice-cream and buy another."

"We're helping a girl out of prostitution," Hayley answered, then Sarah continued to pull her down the hall. "Where are we going?"

"We can't waste any time," Sarah said. Calvin watched them go with a frown, then looked to the girls' bathroom door.

"What the hell happens in there?" he asked. Then he noticed Sarah had never taken her ice-cream and smirked. "Sweet, round two!"


	4. Seeking Help

Sarah dragged Hayley out of the city. They were missing shop class, but she would explain their absence later to Mick. She had the white Ranger follow her all the way out to Angel Grove, where the headquarters for the Silver Guardians was.

"You're going to report her to the police?" Hayley asked, but Sarah shook her head.

"I'm seeing what kind of help they can offer," Sarah smiled. "They've got to know of some programs or support groups or something, right? Maybe if Melanie sees all her options, she'll change her mind."

"Hopefully," Hayley said, though she wasn't optimistic. From her first encounter with the girl, she could tell Melanie didn't want to change. Even though she hated the life she was in, it was all she knew and it was where she felt she belonged. It would take a lot more than some pamphlets and kind words to sway her.

Sarah led the way inside the headquarters and walked up to the reception desk where Emma was sitting at a computer. She smiled as she approached.

"Is this a bad time?" she asked. Emma looked up, smiled and shook her head.

"Not for you. How are you?"

"Good," Sarah smiled. "You?"

This was a loaded question for sure, and for the sake of time Sarah was sure she wouldn't get a completely honest answer. The last time she had met with her predecessor had been around the time Jordan was killed in the line of duty. He had been part of the team that was investigating the attack on his children, which had been connected to the article Kelly's father wrote, and part of Aiden and Madam Oedius' plan. Jordan died while on the job when Aiden dropped a bomb that killed Kelly's father, Jordan, and left Gia in the hospital for a couple of weeks.

It hadn't been long since Emma's life was turned upside down, so her answer of, "Okay," was an exaggeration. Sarah didn't press it, though. She wasn't here to chat. She was here for business.

"Joe's doing okay?"

"He's adapting," Emma nodded. "He's still asking when his dad's going to come home, but he's acting a little more like himself, which is a relief."

"That's good," Sarah smiled. "Is Gia back to work?"

"She's upstairs," Emma answered. "Want me to let you up?"

"Please."

Emma gestured to the elevator and told Hayley and Sarah to take it up to the third floor and that she would enter the override button. It would take the right into Gia's office, where they could speak with her privately.

Once upstairs, the two saw Gia sitting at her desk, looking through a stack of papers and feeling more than a little frustrated. When she saw the elevator had brought someone up, she looked relieved. She waved Sarah and Hayley in with a smile.

"You wouldn't happen to want a job, would you?" Gia said with a chuckle. "It'll mostly be filing paperwork, of course. Apparently, Jordan was more than just a butt head. He was a paperwork doing monkey as well."

"You miss him," Sarah smiled. From the moment she first met the Silver Guardians she picked up on the playful banter between them. Gia liked to pick on and harass Jordan as much as she could and Jordan would find subtle ways to annoy her back.

"I miss having a partner. Still doing interviews, though. It's hard to replace your best friend… 's husband," Gia pushed her paperwork aside, then leaned forward on her desk, "So, what can I do for you?"

"We need some suggestions."

"Never throw your morpher into the ocean," Gia said. "Doesn't matter if your mentor can summon powers from out of his ass, you'll never get it back."

"That's… oddly specific," Hayley frowned, then shook her head. "Actually, it's about a girl who goes to our school."

"You might know her," Sarah added. "She worked for Drex."

"Your crazy pimp, Drex?" Gia asked. "We took care of all his workers. All their cases were examined thoroughly. Why?"

"One of them is at our school," Sarah said. "Melanie. She's our age."

"Melanie?" Gia said and nodded. "Yeah, I remember her. She's got some volunteer work, she's been placed in foster care until we can locate her parents and she needs to attend school. If she's at school, that's good, right?"

"She asked if I could tell her where my mom or Drex were," Sarah shook her head. "She's looking to get back in."

"She told you this?"

"I asked her to give me a week to figure something out," Sarah nodded. "I was hoping you might have some ideas."

"Well, the transition back is never easy," Gia admitted. "She's going to be reinventing herself and breaking old habits. She's overcoming addiction, she needs to take responsibility for her own needs, her freedom, all of it. Short of a few support programs I can suggest… I think she's just going to have to give it time."

"But she's barely giving me a week. If I tell her she's just got to wait it out, we're going to lose her for sure."

"I mean… I'd rather not give up on her," Gia nodded her head and grabbed a pen and paper. "There are a few people you can contact who have more experience with this kind of stuff. But from what I've seen, the only sense of control these girls feel they have is choosing to stay with their pimp."

"She wasn't with him long…"

"Maybe not," Gia said. "But she was a runaway. Sex worker may not be where she envisioned her life going, but now that she's been there, that's what's comfortable. You need to make her new life seem more appealing to her than her old life."

"How?"

"Figure out why she ran away in the first place," Gia suggested. She handed the list of names and number to Sarah. "Just remember, people don't change unless they want to. Do what you can for Melanie, and let me know if there's anything else you need from me and I'll help. But if she's not going to change, that's not on you."

"I'll figure something out," Sarah said. "Thanks."

-Ninja-Steel-

Calvin was feeling frustrated as he waited around in the garage after school. Since Kelly, Brody and Preston were getting help from Mick for their project, they were working inside. Calvin had initially protested his opponents getting help from a specialist, but when they agreed they would take half a letter mark off their official grade, and when they promised Calvin that this was a project that would mean more than just a school assignment, he let them go. The whole point was for them to learn, and Mick would be sure to teach, and Calvin was also confident enough in his team and their project that he didn't think he needed to feel threatened by the others receiving help.

However, his team was starting to let them down. School had ended half an hour ago and there was still no sign of Sarah or Hayley.

"Where did they say they were going?" Levi asked as he sat on top of a stack of tires.

"Helping a girl out of prostitution," Calvin put his hands up. "That's literally all they told me."

"That's some extra credit," Levi shrugged. "Anything you can start on your own?"

"Sarah took her notebook with her," Calvin said. "I don't have any blueprints to work from and… I'm not the best when it comes to writing papers. Hayley helps me with those."

Finally the gate to the garage opened as the girls hurried in. Calvin crossed his arms as he looked to them.

"You're late!"

"Sorry. We had to run to Angel Grove," Sarah said. She took her bag off her shoulder and pulled out her notebook, which she handed to Calvin. "Everything you need to get started is in there."

"Where are you going?" he called out to her as she took off again.

"I have something I need to do! I promise I'll be more help tomorrow!"

"But…" Calvin called and grumbled when Sarah didn't come back. He turned to Hayley, "Is this really more important than our homework?"

"I can help you get started," Hayley promised.

"Let's just write the paper while she's not here anyways," Calvin sighed. "I'll make her help me with the device tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan," Hayley nodded.


	5. A Stupid Idea

On the bus ride home from Angel Grove, Hayley had programmed the numbers from Gia into Sarah's phone so the pink Ranger could make the calls later. She knew she was abandoning her team for the night when she left them to work in the garage, but she was working on a timeline of her own and needed to get help for Melanie as quickly as possible.

She didn't know much about the girl except what Gia had said in their talk. Sarah used that information, as well as her own experience with Drex, to explain Melanie's circumstance to her contacts. A couple of them were adamant that Melanie was a lost cause and there was nothing they could do for her. The rest were willing to help, but only if Melanie called herself.

"All you have to do is make the call," Sarah explained to the girl as they met up again the following day in the bathroom. "You have three organizations willing to help you out if you just call and tell them your story. There's no judgements, either. They were all recommended by…"

"The cop who arrested me," Melanie frowned then shook her head as she tossed away the list of numbers. "Screw that."

"I really think it's worth a shot."

"Why?" Melanie asked. "What are they going to do? Clean me up? Send me back home? I left for a reason, you know."

"They can help you find somewhere better," Sarah suggested. "Like, once you're on your feet a little bit, they can help you get a job, you can get your own place…"

"So, you want me to give up what I want to do, and instead get a job where I earn less money and live by myself? No protection?"

"Protection doesn't beat you up when its mad," Sarah shook her head.

"Here's some no judgement for you," Melanie growled. "I helped you get back to the life you wanted. I risked my neck just talking to your friends, never mind helping them find Drex…"

"You wouldn't have done that if you wanted to stay…"

"I did that for you, princess," Melanie said. "You had family looking for you, friends who cared, you don't need to get caught up in this stuff. That works _for you_. You know what doesn't work for me?"

"Prostitution?"

"Family. Friends. School," Melanie listed off. "I've been there, I've done that, it's not my life."

"But…"

"There are people out there who pay for sex," Melanie said. "It's a job, it pays well, it gets me what I need."

"But it's not safe."

"So I've toughened up," Melanie shrugged. "Now, look princess. I broke the rules helping you. I got you back to your life. Help get me back to mine. Next time you talk to me, you better know where Drex or your mother is. Otherwise I won't be happy."

"But…" Sarah said but Melanie didn't listen. She left the bathroom, never looking back as she did. Sarah leaned over, picked up the paper with the numbers Gia had given her and sighed. "Plan B, I guess… I just wish I knew what that was."

She heard the bell ring, indicating the end of lunch. Not wanting to disappoint her friends again, she hoisted her backpack up on her shoulder and hurried down to shop class. She had already missed the first day. She was sure Mick wouldn't be happy if she was absent again.

She raced into class and joined with the others. She found a spot at the table with the rest of her friends and set her bag down. Hayley leaned over to whisper to her.

"How did it go?"

"She didn't bite," Sarah whispered back. "She doesn't want the help, she just wants Drex."

"She might be a lost cause," Hayley said. "To be honest, I think you're wasting your time."

"Helping people isn't a waste of time."

"It is when they don't want help," Hayley shrugged. "Maybe the best thing you can do for her is not give her anything. No help and support, but nothing about Drex either."

"I can't give up. I have a few more days, still."

"But Sarah, if she isn't open to new ideas, what makes you think you can change her mind?"

"I've got to try," Sarah smiled as Mick started his class.

-Ninja-Steel-

After school, Sarah stayed with Calvin and Hayley to work on their project. Since the couple had already worked on the paper without her, Sarah felt the least she could do to repay them for their work was put extra effort into building her machine. They only had a few more days to get it up and running and have the paper written and Sarah wanted to be sure she wasn't letting her team down. Mick was generous enough to let her use whatever she could find in shop class to build her cookie creator and she had brought with her a few of her tools and resources from home.

When enough work was done, and Sarah, Hayley and Calvin all felt confident they would be able to finish on time if they stopped now, they parted ways. Hayley and Calvin had a date night and Sarah waited outside the school for Kelly, who left with Preston. When Sarah saw her girlfriend and best friend arriving, she waved them over.

"You're going to think I'm nuts," she said, which earned some worried looks from the other two. "But hear me out, okay?"

"I get the feeling I won't like this," Preston sighed. "Alright, what?"

"Instead of ice-cream… we go to prison."

"Sarah, you promised you'd never get me arrested!" Preston cried out, while Kelly just shook her head.

"Why? Just… why?"

"Melanie."

"That girl from yesterday?" Kelly asked and Sarah nodded her head. "What about her?"

"She's a reformed prostitute… or, rather… reforming. Or… well, I want her to reform."

"Does she?"

"Not yet. But I think I can get her to…"

"Sarah, this isn't a good idea," Preston shook his head. "It's nice that you want to help but… if she doesn't want your help…"

"She asked me!"

"But she doesn't want it?" Kelly frowned.

"Well… okay, she asked me to find my mom and Drex but…"

"No," Preston shook his head again. "Sarah, no."

"But…"

"Don't you remember they kidnapped you twice! Shot you in the leg…"

"Yeah, but…"

"Tried to turn you into a whore!"

"I know, but…"

"You can't go near them! They're in prison so that they stay away from you. Now you want to… visit?"

"Not Drex," Sarah shook her head. "Just… my mom."

"No," Preston frowned. "I'm sorry, Sarah, but I can't let you do that."

"But…"

"I think I agree with Preston," Kelly said. "I mean, I wasn't there for the whole… prostitute thing but… this sounds like a real shitty idea."

"I know how it sounds but you have to hear me out."

"We have," Kelly nodded. "We heard what you want to do, why you want to do it, and how you're going to do it and we think it's stupid."

"Then you don't have to come."

"Sarah, we're not letting you go," Preston said and grabbed her arm as she started to leave. "If you leave, we're telling your mother where you're going."

"You're going to tell on me?" Sarah crossed her arms over her chest. "Seriously? All I'm trying to do is help."

"You're going to get hurt."

"She can't hurt me in prison! I'll talk to her, ask her her story and…"

"How is that going to help Melanie?" Kelly asked.

"It'll give me some perspective."

"Why not talk to Melanie?" Preston suggested.

"She won't talk to me," Sarah shook her head. "And I know what you're going to say…"

"She doesn't want to be helped," Preston and Kelly both said and Sarah groaned loudly. Preston squeezed her arm, "Sarah, you've done everything you can already, I'm sure. If Melanie doesn't want help, she won't accept it no matter what you do. The best thing you can do for her and yourself is just let it go now. Work on your project. Kick our asses in the bet and make Brody wear pink."

"I'm looking forward to rocking white," Kelly nodded. "I mean, if you win, of course."

"Fine," Sarah said and hopped up on her hoverboard. "I'll finish up my project."

"Do you want some company?" Kelly asked, but Sarah just shot her a glare before she took off. Kelly sighed and turned to Preston, "I guess this is our first fight."

"Why do I think she's going to prison anyway?" Preston looked to Kelly.

"She wouldn't be that stupid, would she?" Kelly frowned.

"I'm calling Jenny just in case," Preston said as he took out his phone.


	6. Far From The Tree

Jenny kept calling and texting, asking where she was. Sarah had to assume that when she left, Preston and Kelly told her mother what she was thinking. She assumed Jenny had figured out which prison Kathryn was at and was likely on her way there now.

However, she wouldn't run into Sarah. Instead, the pink Ranger had opted to search somewhere else for answers. She went a couple of cities over and found herself in Ocean Bluff. She had managed to search the names of a woman on her phone, and it gave her an address. Sarah could only hope it was right.

She made her way up to the front door and rang the bell. A woman answered and as the door opened, a thick cloud of smoke escaped. Cigarettes; Sarah recognized the smell.

"Um… are you Lindsay Baker?" Sarah asked and the woman nodded her head.

"I'm not buying anything."

"I'm not selling anything," Sarah insisted. "I'm actually Sarah Thompson."

"Who?"

"Uh… your… granddaughter, I guess."

"Probably one of many," Lindsay scoffed. "If you're looking for money, kid, I don't have it."

"I just want to talk," Sarah promised.

"'Bout?"

"Uh… my mom. Kathryn."

"Why?"

"I have questions, and since she can't answer them… I thought you might."

"You here to ask why I kicked her out?"

"Uh… kind of," Sarah nodded her head. Lindsay started to close the door, but Sarah stuck her foot in the way, "Wait, no judgements! It's… for a project."

Lindsay sighed as she opened the door a little wider, "There's nothing to tell. Kathryn was a little shit from the moment she was born. Couldn't take it anymore, so I changed the locks. Haven't seen or heard from her since, except when she needed money."

"Can I ask why?" Sarah said. Lindsay looked the pink Ranger up and down, then moved out of her way, inviting Sarah in.

"You look like her, you know," she said as Sarah came in. "You give her as much trouble as she gave me?"

Sarah shook her head, "Uh… I don't know her much. My dad raised me."

"So, this isn't for a project," Lindsay said. "You have questions, don't you?"

"A little bit," Sarah nodded. "Actually, there's this girl at school who… worked with mom and… I think there's still a chance she can be saved."

"She worked with your mother?"

"Sex worker," Sarah clarified. "You knew that… right?"

"Yep," Lindsay nodded. She brought Sarah to the living room, where there was a bottle of wine on the coffee table. She poured herself a glass, then offered one to Sarah.

"I'm sixteen," Sarah declined politely. "And I'm riding home. I mean, there's no law against hoverboarding and drinking but I think there should be."

"Clearly your mama didn't raise you," Lindsay said with a little laugh. "She was thirteen and already going through my liquor cabinet."

"Really?"

"Hell raiser," Lindsay nodded. "She got to be too much for me to raise on my own. I had no other choice but to send her packing."

"Where was her father?"

"You tell me," Lindsay said and took a sip of her wine. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out a cigarette. After she lit it, she offered one to Sarah. Again, the pink Ranger shook her head.

"He left?"

"He didn't stick around long enough to know he knocked me up," Lindsay said. "Kind of a one and done deal, I guess."

"So, you raised my mom by yourself?"

"I tried," Lindsay nodded.

"What about your parents?"

Lindsay scoffed loudly, releasing a puff of smoke, "Kid, when I was growing up, it was nothing like today. You waited until marriage to have sex and if you didn't you were a whore. The minute my parents found out I was pregnant, they kicked me out!"

"Really?"

"Can't have the neighbours thinkin' we raised a whore, daddy said," Lindsay nodded. "Don't know how they explained me leaving, but they must have thought of something."

"So, you were on your own?"

"Gave birth in the back of a boyfriend's van. Three weeks later, he dumped me. He didn't like the idea of raising someone else's baby. Slept on couches for a few years after that. Your mother bitched and whined about it the whole time. I tried everything I could for that girl, including working two jobs and there was never any thanks. Never any help. Once she started school, I thought it'd be easier because she wouldn't be home all day, but she gave the teachers shit. Every day I get some kind of phone call, with them telling me my kid was talking out in class, hitting other kids. I whoop her ass when she got home, told her she would have to shape up, but then it was the same old song and dance the next day."

"You whooped her?"

"Different time, kid. Back then, you could hit your kids. Not that it ever did any good. As she got older, she just started getting into more trouble. She'd steal my cigarettes, she's stay out late. Dammit, the girl was only eleven and she was sneaking drinks to school and selling my cigarettes on the playground like they were candy!"

"She did all of that?"

"I'll tell you, even as an adult, I hated getting those calls asking me to come to the principal's office. And then it was the same lecture every time about how I needed to be a better parent. I was doing the best that I damn well could! My kid just wouldn't shape up. Broken, I guess. Some are born that way."

"So what made you kick her out?"

"Kid was starting to make the same mistakes as me," Lindsay said. "She was barely starting high school and she was already spending more time dressing up for the boys, planning out dates, sleeping around. I just knew the trouble would continue, and I remember what my daddy did when I wouldn't shape up and so I showed her the same tough love he showed me."

"But… it didn't work with you," Sarah argued. "You weren't happy after he kicked you out."

"No, but he was," Lindsay said. "After your mother was born, I tried to go home for Christmas. I thought if my parents saw the baby, maybe they'd change their minds. Maybe they'd want to help. But they were hosting the neighbourhood party when I went by, laughing and talking with the neighbours like they hadn't just sent me on the streets. They were happy. I wanted to be happy too. So when your mother didn't come home after school one night, I changed the locks. She was not happy, but I told her, once she shapes up, I'll take her back."

"Did she?"

"What do you think, kid," Lindsay said. "She came by a year later, skinny as a rail, looking for drug money. So I shut the door. She came by another year later, saying her boyfriend was in jail. So, I shut the door. One day, she came by, said she was pregnant, but when I asked if she was married to the father, she said no. Told me what she was doing, asked for a little money, so I said no."

"She was pregnant?"

"Wasn't you," Lindsay shook her head. "This was… oh god, twenty-five years ago now? She never told me about you. Had a man by then."

"Drex?"

"Name rings a bell," Lindsay said.

"So, after you kicked her out, did you ever try to take her back?" Sarah asked. "Like, when she came home for money and stuff…"

"Didn't want her," Lindsay said. "I spent fourteen years cleaning up after that child. I spent fourteen years trying to do what I thought was best for her, and she still turned out wrong. Even a mother can only tolerate so many mistakes."

"So, you just… abandoned her?"

"You've got to do it," Lindsay nodded.

"Did she ever want to come back?"

"Do you know how many times she broke in here?" Lindsay asked. "Climbing in through windows, picking the lock. I'd either have to call the police and have her arrested, or she'd be so out of it, I could just drag her out to the porch and have her sleep outside."

"That's… terrible," Sarah said.

"She brought it on herself," Lindsay shrugged.

"So you completely turned your back on her? She had no choice but to stay with Drex, didn't she?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Lindsay frowned. "My parents kicked me out, and all the sex I had was free."

Sarah sat uncomfortably on the couch, not sure how to process all this information. Lindsay put out her cigarette, finished her wine, then looked to Sarah.

"Your daddy, he was a good man?" she asked and Sarah nodded her head. Lindsay smiled, "He treat you right?"

"Very."

"Good. You tell him thank you, okay?"

"I can't," Sarah shook her head. "Uh… he died. A few months ago."

"Sorry to hear about that," Lindsay said. "They didn't give you back to your mama, I hope?"

"No. She's in prison."

"So where did they put you?"

"I'm staying with my step-mother. I've known her since I was nine."

"Does she treat you right?"

"She's the best," Sarah smiled. Lindsay nodded her head.

"Good. Good for you. Anymore questions?"

Sarah shook her head. She had all she needed; a better idea as to why people like Melanie and her mother had the job they had. She wasn't sure how she could use this story to help Melanie, but she did have a couple of days to think about it.

Right now, she just wanted to get home.

"Off you go, then, kid," Lindsay said and stood up. She walked Sarah to the door. "You okay getting home by yourself?"

"Yeah," Sarah nodded.

"I don't have any cash for the bus," Lindsay said, but Sarah shook her head.

"I've got my hoverboard. That's okay."

"A hoverboard, huh?"

"I made it," Saran nodded.

"You made that?"

"I'm an engineer. Well, will be."

"An engineer," Lindsay smiled. "Never thought I'd have one of those in the family again. Good luck, kid."

Sarah smiled back and was about to leave but she stopped herself, "Uh, Lindsay. I do have one more question."

"Yes?"

"That baby… from twenty-five years ago… do you know what happened to it?"

Lindsay shook her head, "I don't, kid. I'm sorry."

"Was it before or after mom met Drex?"

"Around the same time," Lindsay answered. "The kid might even be his."

"But you don't know what happened to it?"

"No clue. Though I can only imagine a working girl won't keep a baby," Lindsay said. "Then again, here you are."

Sarah nodded her head and finally she was able to leave.


	7. In For Hell

It was after dark when Sarah got home. She was expecting hell from Jenny, but when she walked through the door, Mick was standing in her front hall as well.

Neither looked pleased with her. Sarah gulped as she set her hoverboard down.

"Should I just go to my room?" she asked.

"What exactly were you thinking?" Mick frowned and he was twitching a little bit, indicating how angry he was. Mick was a bit of a twitchy guy on a good day, but when his emotions were high, it tended to get a little out of control. "We've been everywhere looking for you! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to deactivate the tracker on your communicator?"

"I had something I needed to do," Sarah shrugged.

Mick looked like he was going to boil over his face was so red. Jenny, however, laughed.

"Something you had to do?" she said. "You had _something_ you had to do?"

"Uh… yeah?"

"Do you realize that something had me visiting both Kathryn and Drex in prison to find out if you had been by?"

"Preston and Kelly called you, huh?"

"Do you realize that something had me calling and texting you for hours, wondering why you wouldn't pick up? Wondering what the hell happened to you and if I was going to find your body in some ditch?"

"I wasn't in any danger."

"Oh, you weren't in danger," Jenny said in a teasing tone as her temper continued to flare. "Oh, you're right. Because whenever a sixteen-year-old runs off after school and her friends are telling me she was talking about visiting her mother in prison, there's never any danger to worry about."

"But…"

"Are you freaking kidding me, Sarah?" Jenny screamed and even Mick winced at her voice. "Do you want my hair to go absolutely white? Do you want me to have a heart attack? Do you want me to ground you for the rest of your life? Because I can do that!"

"You worried us both," Mick said. "You were alone, Sarah. If Galvanax had seen you by yourself, who knows what he could have decided to do. You wouldn't have been able to call for help, if he even gave you that chance."

"What the hell was going through your head, Sarah?" Jenny asked. "What on earth made you think that there was any good excuse for what you were doing?"

"I…"

"Why are you so much damn trouble?" Jenny shouted. "The clones, the time machine, the car accident, the brain damage, running off…"

Sarah shrugged her shoulders as she felt her eyes start to well up with tears. She had known to expect hell from Jenny the moment she left Kelly and Preston at school. She thought she would be able to take it. A little grounding, some shouting, but after hearing what her grandmother had to say, Sarah was starting to think she had gotten a little in over her head. Jenny listing off the ways she had already caused trouble for her mother really didn't help things.

"What the hell am I going to do with you?" Jenny frowned, her voice softening when she saw Sarah was getting upset. She was glad to see Sarah was responding in some way. She wanted to drill it in now that this wouldn't be okay. She didn't want Sarah to think she could get away with this for any reason, and then do it again when there was a chance she wouldn't get as lucky. "And what the hell am I going to do if I lose you too, huh?"

Sarah shrugged her shoulders and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Mick placed his hand on her shoulder.

"We were very worried, Sarah. Your mother and I really just… wanted to know you were safe," he said, then squeezed her shoulder. "So… where did you go?"

"Can I talk with my mom?" Sarah asked. Mick looked to Jenny, then nodded his head. He had to assume this was a family matter. He had what he needed: his pink Ranger was safe at home.

"You'll be in class tomorrow?" he said and Sarah nodded. "You'll help Calvin and Hayley with their projects? You'll join us for training?"

"Promise," Sarah said.

"Have a good night, then," Mick said and walked out of the door. Sarah looked to her mother, who still had her arms crossed over her chest and was glaring intensely.

"Well?"

"I was…"

"You can tell me that later," Jenny frowned. "Right now, I want you to tell me what the hell you think I'd do without you? Because I damn well know it won't be good."

Sarah shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know."

"Exactly," Jenny said. "I don't know is exactly right. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you. I was worried sick, Sarah. I was this close to calling the police. Mick was about to send out the other Rangers. You're grounded."

"Fair enough," Sarah nodded.

"You're either at school, training, or you're in your room. No hanging out with your friends, Kelly isn't coming over, and the garage is completely off limits. You even look at it, you're looking at a month in your room. Do you understand?"

Sarah nodded her head and started to make her way upstairs, certain Jenny's punishment was effective immediately. However, on her way, she stopped and hugged Jenny tight.

"Thank you," she whispered, then hurried up the stairs. Jenny stood baffled as she watched her daughter, then groaned as she headed into the kitchen and picked up her parenting book from the table.

"Where the hell is that chapter on missing Ranger kid coming home, getting yelled at and grounded by evil step-mother, then still hugs you and serves her time without complaint?"

She flipped through the book, then tossed it aside, "I've really got to write my own."


	8. A Little Help

Sarah did as she was told for the week. She got out of bed in the morning, got ready for school, went to all her classes, helped Hayley and Calvin on their project, trained with her friends, and then went straight home and up to her room to pass the time there. She didn't have much to do. Her first day at school while grounded, Jenny had cleaned out her room of tools and technology, leaving Sarah with only what she needed to sleep and do her homework. She didn't even have her notebook so she could jot down her ideas. Jenny made sure Sarah placed it on the counter when she got home and was only allowed to take it to school so she could work on her project.

Mick kept his eye on her while at school to be sure she was following the conditions of her punishment.

On Friday, during the lunch period, Sarah waited just outside the girl's bathroom for Melanie. She hadn't been able to talk to her since Melanie had turned down all the phone numbers, but Sarah was determined to make one last ditch effort. She had the phone numbers in her hand again, just in case Melanie changed her mind and was rehearsing her speech in her head. She hoped it was good enough. She hoped Melanie would consider help.

Sarah thought she wasn't going to show. It was almost the end of the hour and there was no sign of her. Eventually, though, Sarah saw her coming down the hallway and smiled.

"You got what I wanted?" she asked. "Drex? Kathryn?"

Sarah shook her head and held out the paper again, "All you have to do is make the phone call, you know."

"Fucking… seriously? You couldn't do the one thing I asked."

"People want to help you, you know," Sarah told her. "Maybe it's not your parents and maybe your friends aren't reliable but… There are people who can help. They want to help."

"You think that's going to change my mind?" Melanie frowned. "Do you know what people do when they see me? When they know what I do for a living? They judge."

"I don't."

"Your friend did."

"Hayley? She didn't mean it like that."

"The Principal here is always side-eyeing me. The teachers don't give a shit if I don't disrupt their class. My foster parents only know I live with them when they get a check from the state…"

"Yeah, but…"

"No job is going to hire me because I'm not clean, and I can't get clean without rehab, which costs money."

"If you call these people…"

"They're going to tell me how they're the best, and how it doesn't matter what I've done or where I come from, there's a program designed specifically for me. They're going to boast about their success rates, tell me it's never too late to start my life over, and then every day, for the rest of my damn life, I'm going to have to hear people tell me it's lucky I got help when I did, otherwise I'd be dead. Like I owe them or something…"

"But…"

"And what about when I eventually fall off the wagon? Get high, just because I miss it, or because I had a hard day? What about when I sleep with a guy? These people don't care about me, they care about their mission and keeping their business successful and if I flop, they'll just pretend like I never walked through those doors."

"They aren't all like that."

"Because you've been through it before?" Melanie scoffed. "Look, princess, you barely dipped a toe in my world. You had a fighting chance at a good, clean, safe life, and I did what I could to keep it that way. That ship has sailed for me. I'm always going to be a whore, I might as well get some protection while I'm still desirable."

"So… you're not even going to try?"

"Why bother?" Melanie asked. "You're the only one who thinks I can do it. You and some strangers _you_ called."

"You'll probably be dead before you're thirty," Sarah told her. "And sleeping with guys who… don't treat you right."

"That's why they pay you, so they can do what they want."

"You'll have a pimp who beats you. Who uses you."

"Stay on his good side, it won't be too bad. You become numb after a while. The drugs help."

"But…"

"You can say you've tried," Melanie said. "You can sleep well tonight knowing you did everything. You believed in me, I didn't bite. You made phone calls for me, I didn't want them. You told me how bad this was for me, I didn't care. You're not the failure here at. The only thing you suck at is returning favours."

"So you're just going to drop out?"

"Foster parents won't even know. They'll probably be glad when the checks are still coming in but I'm never home."

"Can you just answer one question?" Sarah asked. "Why?"

"Hey, a girl needs to work."

"But… hold on," Sarah said and then grabbed Melanie's arm. She dragged her down to the science classroom. Fortunately, no one was there, but Sarah's project was right where she left it. She pulled away the blanket, revealing her cookie creator.

"Wow. So…"

"You put healthy stuff, or anything really, in here," Sarah said. "And a delicious, healthy cookie comes out the other end."

"Congratulations. You're a nerd."

"Not anymore," Sarah shook her head. "Look, my friends are going to be pissed and I'll definitely fail but… if you're going to drop out of school, at least take this."

"This clunky thing?"

"I'll have to redesign it so it's a little more compact," Sarah nodded her head. "But this one works, and the cookies are amazing. Calvin's already eaten about two dozen of them."

"So what am I supposed to do with healthy cookies?"

"Sell them?" Sarah suggested. "People are always looking for something yummy yet healthy and this is the perfect solution. All the nutrients of a well-balanced meal, in the sweetness of a cookie."

"You're just giving this to me?"

"I can't talk you out of dropping out, or running away," Sarah said. "But… just… promise me, before you find another pimp, you'll try selling some of the cookies and earning money in a more… well, dignified way."

"Let me get this straight, princess," Melanie frowned. "You're going to give me your science project, piss off your friends and fail the very first project of your senior year, just so I don't have to have sex with strangers?"

"If someone tried to help my mom, or even my grandmother when they were in trouble, I just know their lives would have been very different," Sarah nodded. "They just needed someone to believe in them so… I'll believe in you. Just… take the cookie creator, that way, you have options."

"I'll grab it at the end of the day," Melanie said. "Once the school isn't filled with people watching. Wouldn't want to piss your friends off and have them try and stop me."

"It's all yours. Just… promise me I won't see it when I come here on Monday."

"Promise," Melanie nodded. Sarah smiled, gave Melanie a tight hug, then hurried off just as the bell rang, knowing that if she was late to class, Mick would tell Jenny and she would be grounded for the rest of the month.


	9. Project Presentations

On Monday, Sarah arrived at school and met up with Calvin and Hayley in the parking lot. They had planned on going over their presentation before class so everyone knew what to say.

"How was two straight days of prison?" Calvin asked, seeing Sarah walking up looking glum. He assumed it had to do with her not being allowed to leave her room over the weekend, oblivious to the deal Sarah made with Melanie. "Do you remember what you're going to say?"

"I explain how the cookie creator would have worked," Sarah nodded. Hayley grabbed her arm.

"What do you mean ' _would have'_. It works, right?"

"Yeah," Sarah nodded. "But… well… it's not where you think it is."

"Where is it?"

Sarah winced, "Um… well, what's your favourite desserts?"

"Sarah…"

"Melanie has it," Sarah said.

"Melanie… prostitute Melanie?"

"Hopefully she's cookie creator Melanie," Sarah said. "I gave it to her."

"You gave our project?" Calvin called out. "On the day it's due?"

"Uh… Friday," Sarah said. "I let her take it on Friday."

"What?" Calvin grabbed his hair in his hands as he started to pace. "But the bet… and the grade and… Sarah, this is senior year!"

"I know…"

"We're going to fail!"

"You didn't even talk to us about this," Hayley frowned. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I thought it might help Melanie."

"It's going to go right up her nose," Hayley shook her head. "She'll sell it for scrap!"

"No, she won't! At least... I had to do something."

"Well, you did it," Calvin frowned. "You let us down. We has this in the bag, Sarah."

He shook his head as he stormed off. Sarah turned to Hayley, thinking she might be able to reason with her a little more, but Hayley followed Calvin and took his hand. Sarah sighed as she followed them both inside.

She made her way up to science class, preparing how she would explain herself to Mrs. Finch so that Calvin and Hayley could still get full credit for their work. They still had their paper, which would have to count for something, and Mrs. Finch had seen their project when they worked on it in class. At the very least, Sarah felt she could get her friends Bs.

However, when she walked into the science room, she noticed her cookie creator sitting exactly where she left it. Relief washed over her, as well as panic as she realized Melanie hadn't taken the machine like she promised.

Calvin was hugging the machine, whispering how he was glad it was safe and that he would now, for sure, he able to win the bet and ace his first senior year project. As Sarah made her way over, Hayley handed her a note.

"From Melanie," she said. "You got lucky."

Sarah looked to the note, but she couldn't read it. Hayley took it back and read it for her.

" _I'm taking your advice. I'm gonna call those numbers you gave me and see what they can offer. I figure if someone like you can believe in someone like me, maybe not everything is hopeless. I hope you get an A!_

" _Melanie"_

"I have never loved anything more," Calvin said and kissed the top of the machine, to which Hayley rolled her eyes.

"We're still pissed at you," she said to Sarah, who nodded her head.

"I know."

"You had no right to do that."

"I had to," Sarah insisted. "It worked."

"You're lucky," Hayley nodded. "Next time, though, tell me and Calvin what you're doing so we can at least know ahead of time if we're going to fail."

"Next time?" Sarah asked. She had been certain after a scare like that, the couple would never want to work with her again on a project.

"Just… stop doing things without telling people," Hayley said, then gently tapped Sarah on the head, "I wouldn't want to bring back that stutter of yours. Understood?"

"Understood," Sarah nodded.

-Ninja-Steel-

Kelly's confidence had always been easily shaken, but she was working on that. She had already learned that her presence was often more than enough to comfort Sarah when she was having a bad day (or series of them). She had already how to defend herself in battle – at least against Kudabots she felt she could hold her own. And now, she learned that when she put her mind to something, even if it was a lot more technical than she was comfortable with, she could accomplish anything.

The first senior science project was a success for the whole class and the Rangers were no exception. Everyone, including Victor and Monty, loved Sarah, Calvin and Hayley's cookie creator and the impact it could have on healthy eating. Principal Hastings had already been informed of what it could do and had asked the team if they could use the cookie creator in the school cafeteria to sell healthy, delicious snacks for students who couldn't afford some of the more traditional healthy foods and who couldn't bring healthy snacks from home. Sarah, Calvin and Hayley would be making a small profit off the sales, which was also a plus.

It went without saying that the trio earned themselves an A+ for their work. Mrs. Finch would give them their final mark after reading their paper, but she had already stated she was confident their mark wouldn't change, considering their presentation had been excellent.

Kelly, Brody and Preston later presented their project. They had managed to make a device, about the size of a phone, that could read print out loud. At first, no one in class understood how their project would benefit anyone, since most people could read themselves, so Kelly had been forced to explain.

"Well, a lot of people have trouble reading," she said. "The elderly lose their sight and it's hard to read smaller print. The blind have to rely on braille, which isn't always available. You have people with dyslexia who can read, but find it difficult. And there are a lot of people who can speak and understand English, but aren't quite able to read it. Hearing the words said out loud will help those people, and I'm sure everyone can find their own use for it too. It's kind of like an audio book, but you don't really need CD."

Kelly didn't call Sarah out by name, though by now enough rumours had gone around the school and pretty much everyone knew Sarah could no longer read. So, all eyes quickly turned to her as Kelly explained. Kelly looked to her girlfriend with a smile and saw Sarah smiling back.

She had done it. For her, the grade didn't matter. She had created a device that would help Sarah. She had won.

Mrs. Finch did award them an A+ as well, giving them the same grade as Calvin, Hayley and Sarah. However, since they had already agreed to it, Preston, Brody and Kelly had to take half a mark off their final results, giving them a lower final mark than the other three and therefore they lost the bet.

It was worth it, though. Kelly would very happily spend a year wearing white. Especially when, once class had ended, Sarah threw herself into her arms.

"How on earth did you guys come up with that?" Calvin asked as he tested out the device himself. He held it up to his textbook and was surprised to hear it start reading off the title page.

"Mick and Brody did more of the technical stuff," Preston admitted. "Kelly and I mostly wrote the paper."

"But what made you think of doing that?" Hayley asked.

"We were just thinking of a problem we could solve," Brody shrugged. "Once we thought of this, it seemed kinda obvious."

"We had to do it," Kelly said and chuckled when Sarah still wouldn't let her go. "Oh, come on, it's not that great."

"Have I told you how much I love you?" Sarah smirked and pulled in closer. Kelly hugged her tight and then pat her on the back.

"We've gotta get to math class. Unless you plan on hugging me the whole way there…."

"Thinking about it," Sarah nodded. Calvin looked to the two, then crossed his arms as he turned to Hayley. He was about to lean in to hug her, but she put her hand up.

"Please don't."

"But we're not the cutest couple right now," he said and pointed to Sarah and Kelly. "Look!"

"Yeah, it's cute. They're new, let them have a moment."

Calvin sighed, but nodded. Then he turned to Preston and wrapped his arm around his shoulder, "Guess who is going to have to go shopping for some yellow clothes this week."

"Who said anything about shopping?" Preston smirked and with a snap of his finger, the colour of his shirt changed from blue to yellow. He snapped his fingers again, and Brody's shirt changed to pink, and Kelly's shirt went from green to white. "There. Now no matter what we wear this week, we'll be wearing your colours."

As the others headed out to their math class, Kelly stayed behind with Sarah, mostly because with Sarah clinging to her in a tight hug, she couldn't really walk. As the rest of the class cleared out, Sarah finally let go of her girlfriend, but she couldn't stop smiling.

"I can't believe you did that for me. You were working on it all week?"

"Yeah," Kelly nodded. "I mean, once I had the idea, it wasn't hard to convince the guys to go along. And Mick was more than happy to help, so it really was a team effort."

"I thought you guys were crazy for accepting the lower mark," Sarah shook her head. "And all this time…"

"We figure things out for each other," Kelly smiled. "I mean, you helped me stay on my feet when my parents kicked me out. I help you with brain damage. There's just one thing."

"What's that?"

"Last week, when no one had any idea where you were…"

"I know, I know. That was stupid," Sarah nodded. "Believe me, I'm paying the price for it now."

"I hope so. There were a few hours I thought you might never get to see my text to speech reader," Kelly said. "I thought for sure it was a waste of time. If you ever do something stupid like that again, we might not come looking for you."

"Really?"

"Okay… well, we will but when we find you, we'll probably kill you ourselves," Kelly said. Sarah nodded her head to show she agreed, then kissed Kelly again and smiled.

"I love you."

"I love you too," Kelly said and took Sarah's hand as they walked to class. "So, where did you go, anyway? You haven't told me."

"Uh… well, I figured you and Preston would find a way to stop me from going to prison so… I found my grandmother."

"Which one?"

"Mom's. Uh, my biological mother's mom."

"Oh."

"Just getting some answers. Thought maybe if I understood mom's story, it might help me with Melanie."

"Did it?"

"I guess," Sarah nodded. "Maybe a little. Though, to be honest, I think… I don't think I should have gone."

"Duh."

"No, I mean… under any circumstance. My grandmother wasn't mean to me or anything but… I think there are some secrets that are best kept… well, kept."

"Like what?"

"Let's just say, I won't be inventing any machines that let you travel to alternate dimensions or stuff like that," Sarah said. "If dad didn't want me and mom and Drex kept me… I'm scared to think of what could have happened."

"But it didn't," Kelly shook her head. "Everything worked out."

Sarah smiled. "Yeah. Thankfully."


End file.
